Special K Diet??
 

I just wondered if anyone has tryed this diet and what they thought of it. I was thinking of trying it but wanted to get some input first.

Thanks
Deb

I like Special K, though not the kind with the nasty "red" berries in it--yuck!

What is the diet? Special K and skim milk for breakfast would be good, if you're not avoiding carbs.

Regards,
Michael

Special K is filled with High Fructose Corn Syrup and other unpronouncable products.

It is not as healthy as they market it to be.

Fill your plate with proteins and green leafy veggies. Your body will thank you for it.

It's a nice easy fix, but for me anyway, it wouldn't be maintainable in the long run. 2 bowls of cereal and a sensible dinner would quickly turn into 2 bowls of cereal and a late night binge. Might shed a few pounds but it doesn't teach you to eat healthy as a way of life.

The question to ask yourself before starting any plan is...........

"Can I eat like this for the rest of my life?"

I agree with Lizzy-Critter and Primal-Lionness 100%. It's a quick fix, not a long term solution. Primal Lionness nailed it with her question IMO.

Yup it also has BHT in it as well! It will never cross my lips again.

Agreed! How does someone even live off of 2 bowls of cereal and one real meal? I'd be soooo hungry! Not to mention that it doesn't seem very smart to eat your biggest meal at the end of the day (dinner)...

My cereal guidelines are as follows:
-ingredients list whole grains (preferebly early in the list)
-at least 3g of protein
-the carb to sugar ratio should be 4:1 or less (meaning if there are 24 of carbs, there shouldn't be more than 6g of sugar; although I usually keep my sugar content below 5g anyway)
-at least 5g of fiber
-sodium under 200mg
-no hydrogenated oils, artificial colors or chemical preservatives

Lately I love grape nuts. They have a very satisfying nutty crunch. Eaten with warmed milk and berries is fantastic, or mixed into yogurt.

Special K is alright as an occasional breakfast, but I agree that it's no way to live or even to do short term to drop a few pounds. I do like the "Chocolate Delight" variety, and have used it to quiet a chocolate craving, but to use day in and day out? No thank you.

I liked your post and agreed with it until you got to the Grape Nuts part, Grape Nuts isn't food, it's aggregate. Yuck. I buy them for the DH, but would prefer to starve to death before I would put them in my mouth - seriously.

Good thing would be to stop demonizing foods... high fructose corn syrup is basically sugar. If you're not eating sugar or trying to cut it out of your diet, then sure, don't eat something that has high fructose corn syrup in it.

Grape Nuts? If you like 'em, eat 'em. All dieting is managing your intake of calories. If you can work a bowl of Grape Nuts into your calories for the day, go for it!

There aren't any foods - none - that are magic and going to make your body lose weight. Your brain, your ability to look at the bottom line on the food page of fitday.com, is going to be the best thing you use for a diet. Nothing else. Nothing.

I have to agree with Almeeker on Grape Nuts. When I was little, I thought they were roasted grape seeds. It's what they look and taste like IMO. I also agree on demonizing high fructose corn syrup. It's over processed, over sweetened foods IN GENERAL that are bad, not corn syrup in particular. Corn syrup is cheaper than sugar, so food manufacuturers use it when they can to cut cost, period. Nobody debates the merits of cane sugar vs beet sugar, why is corn sugar any different?

As for the Special K diet, Slim Fast, or any "meal replacement" plan, I think they all suck. You learn nothing about how to live healthy for the rest of your life, these plans end eventually, and you gain all the weight back because you haven't learned or changed a thing. Not to mention feeling deprived and starved while you're on it.

I totally agree with you Lizzy. I made the best intention to try Slim Fast, bought 4 different flavours of ready made shakes to see which one suits me - choc, cafe latte, summer strawbery and vanilla. Choc one was making me sick, cafe latte tastes like watered down glue (i had most hopes for this one) strawberry and vanilla are still unopened.

Yeah, I'm generally with Lizzie on this one, too. Special K is kind of a nutritional wasteland, even if it is fairly low in calories. The high protein stuff is a little better, but there are better ways to get nutrition, IMO. And better ways to eat for life.

I avoid HFCS as well as processed foods to the greatest extent possible. Of course, completely avoiding them is impossible; I have made my own bread and granola and granola bars, but I don't have the time to do that on a regular basis; don't make my own pasta, etc. But I try to eat and cook with stuff as simply as possible, and buy stuff with as few ingredients as possible.

I do like Grape Nuts, though. I don't eat them often, but I do like them in warmed with milk or even with applesauce!

The Great Grape Nut Debate; I love it!